I just got my Hubsan 501S drone with FPV handheld controller.

This is my first flight. Actually the 2nd flight because I discovered that the SD card has to be a good brand or specific brand and size for the video to capture on the drone.

I originally had a PNY 128GB U1 XCI High Performance SD card in it and it would not record my video or photos. I ended up resorting to a SanDisk Ultra 32GB U1 HCI SD card and this one worked great!

I also bench tested a PNY High Performance 32GB U1 HCI SD card and this worked as well, so I guess it doesn’t like the XCI SD cards.

I noticed on take-off you should accelerate upward in a quickly manner because the copter wants to drift to the side, horizontally while lifting from the ground and this may have your copter catching some grass and possibly flipping over. I’ll experiment some more in the future with adjusting the trim, this may correct that issue.

You’ll notice I set in a landing pad into my backyard for my backyard/lake drone flights. I purchased this Fibre-Concrete pad from Amazon. It is a 36 inch x 36 inch square pad and it makes for a great take-off and landing spot for any drone!

FIRMWARE for the 501S: I upgraded the firmware for my 501S immediately after receiving the drone because of other videos I have watched. The firmware is: 1.1.17 and it is working perfectly for me so far. You can find the firmware at www.HubsanUS.com

The 501S performed great with holding altitude and hands-off the controller. It also maneuvered quickly and responded quickly with my actions on the controller. Very impressed!

The video is 1080 HD and it seems really good. The only thing it lacks is a gimble for the camera, as it is built into the front of the 501S drone. I’ll let you be the judge of the quality of video by watching for yourself, but you have to admit when the 501S drone is standing still, it looks really good!

I tested landing the 501S on my new landing pad (from Amazon) and it seems when the 501S is close to the ground, it wants to drift back-and-forth, which makes it difficult to make a smooth landing on a 36 x 36 inch landing pad.

As soon as I get a few more successful flights over land, I’ll take it up and over my lake. I just want to make sure there are no flaky issues with the 501S and it’s communication with the controller and GPS. But, so far- so good!

As soon as I get my long-range antenna’s installed on this Hubsan controller, I’ll take it on a flight OVER the lake. I just want to make sure there is no issue with range or loss of communication while fling out over the lake.

I’ll also perform a “Return-To-Home” test in a later video posting and a “Follow-Me” test video as well.SUBSCRIBE to my channel for future updates!

]]>http://twhomeshow.com/2016/07/hubsan-501s-drone-review/feed/0How do I embed 360 / Panoramic photos to my website?http://twhomeshow.com/2016/06/how-do-i-embed-360panoramic-photos-to-my-website/
http://twhomeshow.com/2016/06/how-do-i-embed-360panoramic-photos-to-my-website/#commentsMon, 13 Jun 2016 22:47:12 +0000http://twhomeshow.com/?p=2892I found out how to easily post or embed my 360 panoramic photos to a website or blog with a simple embed code provided by a few different providers or hosting services for 360/panoramic photos….

You’ll have to upload at least 2 photos, as it only appears that they provide a tour embedded script, and not single photos to embed. But as you can see it provides a nice layout to show family and friends as well as for business purposes.

I really like the “Spinattic” because it starts spinning your 360 photo so that visitors can see that you can easily move through the 360 photo and that it’s not a still stationary photo. It also allows you to zoom-in and out!

If you’re like me and just purchased a 360/panoramic camera or have taken panoramic photos with your Android or iOS device but can’t figure out how to display them properly on your website or blog, well I have found the solution without buying any software. With this solution you or your visitors can see the 360 photo and grab it to drag it around 360 degrees!

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Sharing an embedded photo with FLICKR.com

Here is another great example of showing off your 360/panoramic photos with FLICKR. With FLICKR you are able to embed just a single 360/panoramic photo onto your website and then when your visitors come to view it, they have the opportunity to share it!

Here’s a FLICKR Slideshow: It doesn’t embed it in 360, but takes you to FLICKR’s site to show you the 360 photos.

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Upload your 360 Photo to FACEBOOK. This works great! Much better than sharing a FLICKR 360 photo to FACEBOOK because FACEBOOK automatically will recognize that your photo is 360 and allow someone to grab-and-drag right within the FACEBOOK page.

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HOW To Make 360/VR Panorama Photos with a DJI Drone.
The Drone APP: Litchi and the Pano Software PTGui make this a FAST and EASY Task!

Well this is what it has come to. We knew it wouldn’t stop at capturing just regular photos and videos. First, the electronics industry gave us hi-definition, then 3D, and now it’s 360 degree panoramic photos and videos introduced to the end consumers, like us.

The LG 360 Cam

I’ll give it a shot with this new entry into the 360 camera market. It’s the most affordable 360 Cam available at the moment. At just under $200 at this time (May 2016) you really can’t beat the price for a new camera gadget such as this one with the performance and technology built in to this compact little device it makes it well worth some of your allowance.

It’s cool, it’s easy to carry around it your pocket with an included slide-on storage cover.

It’s really fun to share this new type of photography with friends and family.

Ok, I’ve had my Phantom 3 for a few weeks now and I want to discover more that it has to offer so I am going to show you my learning experience with the “Waypoints” feature.

I’m sure there are many other YouTube videos on performing this feature of “Waypoints” but it’s always nice seeing an amature performing a unique feature such as this on a product that costs around $800…hahaha

It was basically pretty easy, although I prefer to go on learning flights like this with NO wind involved because I am still an amature at this whole drone flying.

Everything seemed to perform as expected and I was pretty amazed by the results.

I have 2 videos on this subject of DJI Waypoints. One is with my screen recording and initially setting the waypoints, and the other is with an HD flight recording of RE-Flying the preset waypoints. Both videos are awesome . . . so take a look below.

The only thing I was confused about with DJI waypoints was while I ended the waypoints it gave you several options for the camera position and I thought I picked the “Free Form” camera setting so that when I go perform this flight waypoint I would be able to fully control the Phantom and camera angles.

LEARNING how to use DJI Phantom 3 Waypoints:

The video quality on this is lower because this was ALL screen recording.

I traded up to the Phantom 3 ADVANCED model because I wasn’t getting the distance as described on the DJI website and there are differences with the way the Phantom version communicate with the Remote Controllers.

BOTH the Remote Controllers and the Wireless Communication technologies are different from the Standard to the Advanced models as listed below:

I WANTED MORE DISTANCE AS WELL AS MORE DEPENDABILITY AND SECURITY

Phantom 3 STANDARD: wireless video transmission is performed through basic WiFi Downlink technology (2Mbps) at a distance of only .62 MILES

Phantom 3 ADVANCED: wireless video transmission is performed through the LightBridge Downlink technology (2Mbps) at a distance of up to 3.1 MILES

Phantom 3 PROFESSIONAL: wireless video transmission is performed through the LightBridge Downlink technology (10Mbps) at a distance of up to 3.1 MILES

Here is My First Flight with the Phantom 3 ADVANCED: (this flight was set at 1080p as default, next flights will be in 2.7 HD)

About 3/4’s of the way through the flight, I could not visually see my copter because of the sun setting, so I activated the RTH (return-to-home) feature and the copter came back to right above the take-off point and came straight down to land to the exact location it took off from – give or take 6 feet.

Phantom 3 Advanced: MY ACCESSORIES

I made ALL of my purchases through AMAZON.com – So here’s what I purchased . . .

HOW TO LEARN MORE ABOUT: Phantom 3 Models and Quad-Copters?

ALL Quad-Copter information for purchasing a quad-copter and an opportunity to read many reviews before purchasing. Search AMAZON here:Quad-Copters

ALL DJI Quad-Copter information for purchasing a DJI quad-copter and an opportunity to read many reviews before purchasing. Search AMAZON here:DJI Quad-Copters

Search the FORUMS for more detailed information about Quad-Copters and how they operate and tips and tricks as well as information about related products and accessories for quad-copters: FORUMS for Quad-Copters

Here’s another AWESOME First LONG Flight across the road from my neighborhood:

My video feeds of information, documentation, help, and videos of my quadcopters and my experiences. I hope to grow as I learn more about my quadcopters as I have a variety that are in my arsenal now. The Hubsan h107d+ FPV, the DJI Phantom 3 S, and soon to arrive the Onagofly FPV.

Subscribe to my website and my YouTube channel in order to follow my experiences!

Please leave any advice or feedback below this topic. I would love to hear your experiences myself as well as share with other visitors.

I received my DJI Phantom 3 Standard drone this evening. Finally, after being on the fence about whether to make the purchase or not. After all, it is a pretty big decision to make with the price of it and all of the accessories you may want to buy along with it.

I don’t have a video photography career or any other kind of professional use for it but I thought it was the next step for my hobby. I tell you, drone flying is kind of like boating or motorcycling, you always want to go a little bit bigger in size and you always want all the gadgets and accessories to go along with each of them. Damn, it gets so expensive!

DJI Phantom 3S: UN-BOXING

First things first – I unpacked my brand new DJI Phantom 3 Standard.

Everything was accounted for and I also purchased a few accessories that came in separate packages. Everything arrived in acceptable condition as far as I can tell.

DJI Phantom 3S: FIRMWARE UPDATES

After installing the battery and connecting the Remote Controller by USB and logging into the DJI GO android app, I discovered I had to connect to the Phantom 3 by WiFi. This is an exclusive WiFi connection directly to the Phantom 3. I went to settings within my Tablet/Smartphone> WiFi Settings, and choose the Phantom 3 WiFi choice and it requested a password for the Phantom 3 WiFi connection. This default password is: 12341234

I also had a brand new Voyager 7″ tablet that I purchased from Walmart during this last Christmas holiday for $35. I had one left over because we purchased a few for our family members but we discovered one already had a tablet.

The holder/mount for the 7″tablet will replace the included smartphone clamp and provide a mount for a tablet upto 7.9″

Tablet Mount Holder (7 inch Android or iPad Mini):VIDEO REVIEW

This is a replacement for the smartphone clamp that comes standard on the Phantom 3 Standard remote control.

With this nice, high quality tablet mounting bracket you’ll be able to have a bigger view of the DJI GO app while piloting your Phantom 3 Standard drone. Just like the other models, Phantom 3 Advance and Professional, you too can have a nice bigger tablet to view and perform functions from your remote mounted tablet.

Microraptor by Pro Cases:VIDEO REVIEW

A high quality travel/storage case under $200. When you start looking to save money on a storage case for your Phantom 3 after you purchased it and think you already spent enough money on the quadcopter itself, you’ll start to think you can save money by scrimping on the quality and expense of the case. But don’t sacrifice on the case quality! I found a case under $200 that will last a long time and serve your needs.

The Hubsan X4 H107D+ with FPV was my second drone and was the first one I got that had an “Altitude Hold” feature which makes drone flying so much more enjoyable. I would recommend always purchasing a drone that has at least the altitude hold feature, if nothing else. Otherwise your drone flying experience will be short-lived.

With the Hubsan 4X – H107D+ you’ll have the capability of flying at night as well as daytime because it comes with the flashing colored LED’s so you’ll be able to see the orientation of the drone while in air! Of course flying during night environment will be without video as the video does not have night-vision.

This aircraft/drone makes for a nice little practice drone for those of you that are looking to own a more expensive drone such as a DJI Phantom 3 or Inspire. You’ll be able to practice inside your home with this little thing because of it’s small size.

Hubsan X4 FPV: Model H107D+

VIDEO REVIEW:

]]>http://twhomeshow.com/2016/02/hubsan-h107d-with-fpv/feed/0XBOX One with Kinect: Using it to control your entertainment centerhttp://twhomeshow.com/2016/01/xbox-one-with-kinect-using-it-to-control-your-entertainment-center/
http://twhomeshow.com/2016/01/xbox-one-with-kinect-using-it-to-control-your-entertainment-center/#respondThu, 14 Jan 2016 22:49:06 +0000http://twhomeshow.com/?p=2668Xbox One

$399 – The best Xbox One experience is with Kinect

Get the family up and moving with the Xbox One with Kinect Bundle, featuring full game downloads of Dance Central Spotlight, Kinect Sports Rivals, and Zoo Tycoon. Command your Xbox and TV with your voice, make Skype calls in HD on your TV, and play full-body games where you are the controller. You can even broadcast your gameplay live with picture-in-picture using the Twitch app.

MY REVIEW of the XBOX One with Kinect

Well, this is the XBOX One package that was on my Christmas list (2015) and I got it!

My previous gaming console was the Playstation 3, which I still have with many games but I wan’t to upgrade to the XBOX console due to the fact it could control my entertainment devices just by voice commands. I know, you’re thinking who buys a $400 gaming console just to control their television and sound system? That would be me. But, of course I will be playing games on it as well. I just thought it would be really convenient to sit down on the couch and instead of reaching for my 3 remote controls, I could just say . . . “XBOX, turn the TV ON” and . . . “XBOX, watch channel 513″ . . or. . .”XBOX, turn the volume UP”. Unfortunately this doesn’t seem to be perfected on the XBOX One.

I am so disappointed because I thought for sure, a Microsoft product would work just as well if not better than an Amazon product like the Amazon Echo. This is NOT the case! By comparison the XBOX One voice recognition seems as functional as a voice recognition product that may have come out in the year 2005 and the Amazon ECHO seems like something from the future, it’s voice recognition is so advanced!

XBOX One – Home Screen Menu

In my opinion, Microsoft needs to fire the XBOX One/Kinect crew and hire some of the Amazon employees to take over with the user experience design department.

I am not impressed with the XBOX One menu or the Kinect voice controls. BOTH are garbage!

]]>http://twhomeshow.com/2016/01/xbox-one-with-kinect-using-it-to-control-your-entertainment-center/feed/0Flying Drones: It’s the new craze. Do you have one yet?http://twhomeshow.com/2016/01/flying-drones/
http://twhomeshow.com/2016/01/flying-drones/#respondTue, 12 Jan 2016 23:33:51 +0000http://twhomeshow.com/?p=2618

Since I was a little kid I have always been interested in remote controlled toys such as remotely controlled vehicles, airplanes, helicopters and now drones!

I remember the last flying toy I purchased was about 5 years ago and it was a remote controlled helicopter. I saw a vendor at the mall just before Christmas time and he was a pro! He was flying this little helicopter all around his booth and he made it look so easy. My wife saw my interest as I was watching this helicopter flying over everyone walking past the booth and my mouth must have been wide open while watching with amusement, because she asked me if I wanted her to buy me one for Christmas. Of course, I said YES!

Well, after bringing it home and charging the battery up and reading all of the owners manual I thought I was prepared to fly. It was nighttime by then, so I decided that our 3-car garage would be the perfect spot to learn how to fly this thing without embarrassment of crashing in public.

Needless to say, I embarrassed myself in front of my wife and myself that evening because I could not keep that helicopter up in the air any longer than a few seconds at a time before crashing hard every time.

FAST-FORWARD to this past Christmas (2015)

xDroneHD by: WebRC

Quad-Copter Drones are “the Thing” now. I had did a little research on them with my tablet over the internet and watch some QVC, Home Shopping channels with them displaying and selling these new flying drones and my wife, once again saw my interest in these remote controlled things. She ended up telling her parents that I might like a drone as a Christmas gift. So, low-and-behold, that’s what they got me for Christmas this past year.

They got me an “xDroneHD” by WebRC. This little thing had an HD camera (supposedly) mounted in the front of it and would record pictures and video while in-flight. The only thing wrong with it was the lack of control you have while trying to maintain this drone in the air. It was just like my dream of the helicopter I got from my wife about 5 years ago. Dammit! I thought things had improved since then with the technology and all and the QUAD-Propellers.

I went back on my tablet to research drones again. Maybe it was the amount of money you had to spend in order to get a Drone that flies EASIER!

After further research I noticed some IMPORTANT keywords to look for in some of the drone descriptions:

Altitude Hold

720p, 1080p Gimbal Mounted Cameras

GPS Assisted

Return-To-Home

Follow-Me

EASY-TO-FLY

THESE are KEY to choosing a drone that is easier and more enjoyable to fly.

I ended up purchasing 2 NEW Drones and I’ll share my experience with BOTH of them when I get them. Here are the drones I purchased:

The Hubsan H107D+ was my first purchase as this was available through Amazon.com at approximately $220. The battery is proprietary though and I found out it wasn’t available to purchase extra batteries or accessories for this drone until after February of 2016.

BATTERY LIFE: 7 to 10 Mins.

BELOW, you can get an idea of the video taken from this drone. This is recorded video from my first outdoor flight with my Hubsan H107D+ FPV Drone. I am going to recommend placing a patio block down in grassy areas because sometimes the drone’s propellers got caught-up in the grass blades and prevented it from coming off of the ground. So I will be practicing with a patio block landing pad on my next go-around It will be cool if I can get as good as to land it right back onto the pad.

This is a palm-sized nano-drone that I found on indiegogo.com in Janurary 2016. I am going to review this with you when I get it. I purchased this for $259 and it comes with the carry case and quick-charger for this price.

BATTERY LIFE: 12 to 15 Mins.

UPDATE: (July 2016) I finally received the ONAGOFLY Nano Drone. I ended up selling it on EBAY (unopened) because I promised my Wife that I wouldn’t keep it if she purchased the Phantom 3 Advanced for me as a Valentines gift.